The Heddvens
The Heddvens, often referred to as "owl hippies", are owls who believe in peace, love, harmony and equality between owls and other birds. Notable traits of the Heddvens include them dying their feathers in bright colors (with some owls mistaking them for kraals) and giving themselves unique and often nonsensical nicknames, often the names of bands or songs. They are similar to gadfeathers, enjoying singing, and often small groups of Heddvens with travel together in groups called conventions. They appear in the fanfiction Travellers of Mac'Greer, which takes place in modern-day London, and appear endemic to human civilizations. Etymology The word heddven comes from the Welsh word for peace, heddwch. Practices Feather Dying One of the key features of being a Heddven is dying one's feathers. While traditionally done with dyes made from berries and leaves, many Heddvens stopped using them in favour of man-made paint and dye, with watercolour being the feather dye of choice. Some Heddvens, especially elders, continue to use traditional dyes for their symbolic and sentimental values. Heddvens like to dye themselves with visually pleasing colour scemes as opposed to splotches of colour. A Heddven may take off their paint, such as when Fenwyk was raising his son Fen, he washed the dye off his face. Nicknames Heddvens often give each other nicknames (called hedd names) which they are then identified by. Some Heddvens are so immersed in the Heddven community that their nicknames become their regular name, such is the case with Fenwyk, who was born Arvid. The nicknames are often the names of obscure 60's bands, including Kak, Mourning Dayze, Ultimate Spinach, Electric Toilet, or Phluph. This later expanded to include any band name or unusual song title, the weirder the better. If a Heddven has showed dishonourable actions, especially a young Heddven, they can be "downgraded" and given a less desirable name, such as with the owlet Flynn In Meeting of Lycrois. Flynn, given the name The Who, was temporarily renamed Mojo after he killed a fox for sport. Talon Filing Talon filing is an older practise, abandoned by the Heddvens. The practise included filing one's talons down until they had blunt tips, signifying they were non-violent owls. The Heddvens stopped this practise after owls severed the blood vessels in their talons, and, in the case of young Heddven Ultimate Spinach, the talons failed to grown back. It also made hunting difficult, and many Heddvens viewed it as a very illogical practise. Conventions Unlike most owls, Heddvens will usually stay together in groups known as conventions, sometimes also called communes or clans. Conventions usually don't have a leader, but elders are more respected. Heddvens are seldom free flyers, targeted by other owls, and usually only leave conventions for short periods of time or to have owlets. Notable Heddvens * Fenwyk (Long-eared Owl) * Ultimate Spinach (Short-eared Owl) * Kak (Long-eared Owl) * Chumbawumba (Snowy Owl) * Roy (Barn Owl) * Harlequin (Barn Owl) * Tony Danza Tap Dance Extravaganza (Eagle Owl) * Taiga Wylven (Screech Owl/Tyto Hybrid) Category:Organizations